Carrier-spacing device



l Nww Emw R Ano L 3 CU. AAM Mwu GMM l l Jmm INVENTOR Patented May -20, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. mcLAnEN, or mnomrcx, NEW Yoan.

CARRIER-@Acme DEVICE I Application led September 30, 1920. Serial No. 413,694.

tain new and useful Improvements in Car` Iier-Spacing Devices, of which the follow-V ing is a specification.

This invention relates to carrier spacing devices for use in pneumatic despatch apparatus.

In the operationof pneumatic despatch systems in which the carriers are delivered from a pneumatic tube into selector mechanism designed to separate thecarriers into two or more classes, it has been found that the operation of the selector mechanism is seriously interfered with if the carriers enter the mechanism in uninterrupted contact" with each other. The object of the invention is to provide a device for momentarily restricting the advance of all but the leading carrier a's the carriers approach theV delivery end of the tube, in order to insure that only one carrier at a time will enter the selector mechanism for the desired selecting operation. l

The invention consists in mounting a short section of the despatch tube at an angle to the main axis of the tube in order to produce a gap between one side of the rearmost end of the'leading carrier, as it enters the angular section, and the advancing end of the following carrier. A coacting spacer member is so mounted that the passage of the carrier causes a portion of the spacer member to enter the gap and check the movement of the following carriers, the spacing member being so mounted that the action of gravity will cause it to resume its normal position out of carrier restricting osition when the passingl carrier has move out vof engagement therewith.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a s acing device embodying the invention and showing the spacing member in inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, in

whic the carrier spacing member is shown in operative position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the spacing device shown in Fig. 1 mounted in cooperative relation to a preferred form of selectin mechanism.

eferring to the drawin there is shown at. 1 a housing or framewor for my carrier spacing device in which is ivotall mounted the elongated lever mem er 2 w ich constitutes the carrier spacing member of the device. The spacing member 2 is pivotally mounted on the framework at 3 in a vertically extending opening in the side wall thereof and is normally held, by the action ing substantially across the` bore of the tubular framework, as indicated in Fig. I. The upper and relatively massive head portion 5 of the spacer member normally rests against the stop member 6, which is preferably provided with a cushioning pad 7 of leather or similar material.

It will be seen that the open framework in which the spacer member 3 operates is mounted at an angle to the axis of the vertical tube 8l from which the carriers are received. The effect of this is to divert the carriers enterin the framework from the path of travel o the carriers moving downward in the tube 8, so that a gap is produced, as at 9 in Fig. 2, between the rearmost end of the carrier 10 in the framework 1 and the immediately contiguous following carrier 11 still in the tube 8.

The forward end of the carrier 10 in the spacer framework engages the tail ortion 4 of thea spacer member 2 and rocks t e spacer about its pivotal point 3, so as to cause the projecting edge 12 to enter the gap 9 and obstruct the descent of the following carrier 11. The carrier 12 meanwhile contlnues its descent and enters the selector mechanism shown at 13`in Fig. 3, where the carrier is either directed to the left through the open side 14 of the tube or allowed to pass down through the lower end 15 of the selector tube, according to the formation of the end of the carrier.

When the carrier descending into the selector mechanism 13 passes and thereby releases the tail piece 4, the spacer member 2 swings back to the normal position shown in Fig. 1 through the action of gravity on the relatively massive head portion, as has already been explained, thereby releasingthe next succeeding carrier 11, when the described operation is re eated. It willI be clear that the passage o ently into the selector mechanism insures the proper' operation of the selector on each carrier vand prevents the passage of a carrier downward through the tube because of the contact of its forward end with the ,car-

of gravity, with its tail portion 4 extendcarriers independrier vin advance and the` consequent failure of the selector device to engage the carrier end and operate in the desired manner. p

The selector mechanism 13 consists of the tube section 16 having an arm 17 pivoted in a wall thereof. The arm 17 is provided with an upwardly projecting lug at its for-l ward end which engages the surface of such carriers as are provided with flat ends and enters a depression in the ends of the other class of carriers. lThe arm 17 is weighted in any desired manner so that the end 5f `the arm within/ the tube assumes a raised substantially horizontal position in the path of. the descending carriers. While the weight might obviously form a art of the arm itself, which extends outsi e the 4tube l wwall, I have chosen to show the weight as a separate member in the form of a bar or rod 18, slidably mounted in the guide lugs 19 and 2O formed on the tube. rlhe bar 18 ma means for turning the'leadin be provided with a slot 21 throu hv whic the tail ortion 22 of the arm- 1 extends and to w ich it is connected by the pin 23. In operation the rim of a carrier provided with-a slot will engage the upper side of the wardly and allow the carrier to pass through the lower'exit 15 of the tube.

1. A device for checking the advance of all but the leading member of a plurality of contacting movin members comprising: means for turning t e leading member at an angle to its normal direction of travel to thereby produce a gap between one side of its rearmost end and the advancing end of the following -member, and a movably mounted member o erated by the leading member to enter .t e gap and check the movement ofthe following member.

2. A device "for kchecking the advance of all' but the leadingmember of a'plurality of contacting moving members comprising: member at an angle `to itsj normal direction of travel to thereby produce la gap between one side of its vrearmost end and the advancing end of the following member, and a movably mounted member operated by the leading member to enter the gap and check the movement of the following member, the movably mounted member-being operated by avity to in ove to non-restricting position w en the leading member hasv moved out of operating position. v f

3. A device for spacing a moving member Lacasse j y from a following member comprising: a

path of said leading member, whereby when said projecting end is engaged by the leading member the 'opposite end of said spacer member is swung into the gap between the adjacent ends of said leading and following members to check the advance of the following member.

4. In a pneumatic despatch system, a device for spacing apart a pair of carriers traveling in end toend engagement in a pneumatic tube com rising: a tube section aving an an ular re ation'to the' axis of the neumatic tu e whereby a gap is produced etween one side of the rearmost end of the leadin carrier entering .the angularly arrange tube section and the advancing end of the following carrier', and a unitary spacer member pivotally carried by said tube section and having one end thereof projectin into the path of said leading carrier, where y when said projecting end is enga ed by the leading carrier the opposite en of said spacer member is swung into said gap to check the advance of the'following carrier, said spacer member bein actuated by gravity to assume its norma unrestricting position.

5. In a conveyor system, the combination of a conveyor for transporting a series of carriers, means for acting on the carriers to break thejoint vbetween successive carriers and thereby prevent them from following 'each other in an unbroken line, and a stop mounted for movement into position between adjacent carriers so broken apart toarrest temporarily the movement of certain of said -carriers and thereby space the carriers apart longitudinally of said conveyor.

6. In a conveyor system, the combination of a conveyor for transporting a series of loo V carriers, mechanism for spacing the carriers apart along said conve or by at least certain minimum intervals, said mechanism including a stop mounted to be moved into and out of engagement with the carriers en said conveyor, and means for acting on the carriers to swing them laterally and thereby separate carriers following each other in an unbroken line to facilitate the engagement of said stop with a carrier whose movement is to be arrested.

' 7. In a conveyor system, the combination with a conveyor for transporting a series of carriers, of mechanism for spacing the carriers apart alon said conveyor comprising a stop mounte beside the conveyor for movement laterally into and out of engage- 13cment with the carriers on said conveyor, and means for actingl on a carrier passing said stop to swing t e carrier laterally of the conveyor and thereby facilitate the engagement of said stop with the carrier next bewith of the stop.

9. In a conveyor system, the combination of means providing a path along which a series of carriers are moved, a stop for arresting the movement of said carriers, means arranged to be actuated by said carriers for moving said stop into and out of its carrier arresting position, and means for moving each carrier at an angle to its normall path of movement as it approaches the stop to facilitate engagement of the stop with the following carrier. y

ISigned at New York, in the coun? and Sep- State of New York, this 13th day o tember, 1920.`

JAMES G. MACLAREN. 

